Eliguk Journal – February 3, 2025.

It's been a hectic week at the Outpost, and we're currently experiencing a cold snap, similar to many places around the globe. We've received five new snow inches, meaning we can travel by snow machine. Driving the Jeep is still an option.

We've had two phone calls from the US today. Both are friendly folks who have been following our journey for years and are unrelated/unknown to each other. Both want to apologize to their President following the announcement of tariffs on Canada. We are equally sorry that our Prime Minister retaliated with the same, creating a tariff war that only the citizens will suffer because of. We won't think differently of the US or its people; hopefully, we can all get through this together. As a matter of fact, I've just noticed the headline that there is a 30 day pause on the issue. That's hopeful, but still stressful to think how much is out of all our control.

You know what helps me when I'm blue?

Music!

I wrote the lyrics, which is obvious, hahaha (except for a part of the second chorus which was an author unknown meme)- I also got to dictate the composition of the music and how I wanted every scale, note to be sung, and instruments used - using AI to string it together of course. We've always wanted to put a song together and have someone or a band play it, but have never found anyone willing or capable. This however, couldn't have turned out any better - if I had been able to talk the likes of Derks Bentley or Blake Shelton to sing it for me. I have the type of drive that I want to try everything in life, and this was another feel-good moment. Ultimately, we have a pretty awesome single that sums up our little off-grid existence. If you haven't seen me post about it yet online through my social media outlets, I'll add photos and links for you for Spotify here... A Mountain Man at Heart.

The single is available at all the apps in the right bottom corner below.

Our Mountain Man is at it again with his delightful brand of chaos here at Eliguk! Today, he decided to make use of the glorious sunshine hitting our little corner of the Arctic, which, let’s face it, is both a rare treat and a temporary illusion that spring is just around the corner. (Sorry Punxsutawney Phil, this gals not going to have to go through another six weeks of winter - she has a wood fired greenhouse!) The outside thermometer bravely showing our daily high of -23C (-9.4F), he thought, “What better time to kickstart my trusty old Jeep than now?”

He plugged it in like it was a smartphone desperately in need of a charge. “Ah, what a glorious day for a jaunt!” he declared, like a polar bear spotting an ice floe. Even the wind chill couldn't hold him back from the possibility of the Jeep stalling and risking a bone chilling walk home. Once the Jeep received a sufficient dose of solar love, our intrepid hero decided it was time to take his magnificent beast for a test-run to the end of the lake. And I, the penguin fool that stood out there and filmed him, at least you have to be part penguin to risk freezing your eyeballs, while you stare into your camera out on the windy lake.

But wait! No adventurous soul rides into the frostbitten abyss without a great road trip plan. Knowing it would be foolish to attempt the sketchy back trail, he aimed for the lakeshore instead. Our fearless leader strapped on his warmest mittens (yes mittens - not gloves), which are my nice soft black oversize leather mitts—because who says you can’t be fabulous while clinging to a steering wheel navigating icy roads? Ice roads, that when last measured were only hitting a foot thick. I know the current cold snap is creating more ice as I type, but, the incredible snap and cracking sounds that ripped across the lake as the weight of the Jeep hit the ice was unbelievable!

Now, let’s talk about the impending supply run to town. I had my eye on a special, rather large item that I found online. It's a difficult item to haul, but I have a special place for it in the new Lodge. It requires a big trailer to get the awkward item back to Eliguk, hence why he is using the Jeep, instead of a snow machine to get out to Walt's and back. I think he's making the trek mid-week, but we will see if the weather allows it. Its been so cold, that even the small local town cancelled it's annual snow machine race. I'm not sure about where you are located, but February is always our coldest month, and I was trying to brace for it.

There's still wood to fetch and more pails of water to set me up with before I will let my Mountain Man escape the wild, and I wish he would wait until the cold snap eases a little longer, but we all know what good it does trying to convince him to change his mind once it's set.

My January Keto adventure has wrapped up, and since I’m living in the dark ages without a scale, (because who needs that kind of negativity?) I’m clueless about my progress. Did I drop a few pounds, or did I just develop a newfound love for oversized sweatpants? Who knows! The best feeling is being over the queasiness that came from my egg-eating marathon every morning. Mainly because I don't have to eat them if I don't feel like it. The only time my stomach rejoiced was when I indulged in vanilla ice cream yesterday. Nothing like a sweet reward to brighten your day, right? Three-quarters of a cup only packed 20g of carbs, which kept me safely under my 50g daily limit for February—no carby disasters here!

I’m proud to announce that I stayed on the Keto train all month, despite Mountain Man’s relentless demands for blueberry pies, cookies, and pudding. Seriously! There’s only so much baking a person can handle when they can't even test it out. This time around, I’m all about loading up the grocery list with extra veggies and fruits. I've missed those two food groups the most!

I'm already itching to plant seeds with February finally arriving! A seed order I placed a month ago finally arrived in PG, and will be coming home with the husband next week. Don't worry, I controlled myself - it is a very thin envelope, but I will still plaster the blog page with all the pretty little neat and tiny seed packets anyhow.